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Biographic Note
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Professor Art Uhlir Jr. has been
associated with the semiconductor field for over 50 years, beginning in
1952 when he completed a PhD in Physics at the University of Chicago and
joined Bell Labs to begin work on characterizing the performance of the
earliest germanium point contact and grown junction transistors. One of Art’s first assignments as a
member of the Transistor Development Department, was to apply his knowledge
of chemistry (MS in Chemical Engineering, 1948, at Illinois Institute of Technology) to the study of surface
leakage problems on germanium grown junctions. As an outgrowth of this work, Art’s group began studying the
use of chemical etching with germanium and silicon structures. An historic result of this research was
the discovery of a substance now known as porous silicon. [REF 1]. This pioneering work has recently been the
topic of renewed interest and research, with hundreds of academic paper
published annually over the past few years. Art’s next assignment at Bell Labs was to determine the
applicability of Shockley’s p-n junction theory to microwave diodes. Studying both point contact and
diffused junction diodes, Art’s group succeeded in developing a solid
theoretical understanding and resultant set of devices which have had a
profound effect in the field of microwave electronics; these devices have
come to be known as parametric amplifiers and varactor diodes. [REF 2].
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Biographic Note - Continued
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Art left Bell Labs in 1958 to
join Microwave Associates, first as the Director of Semiconductor R&D
and later as Vice President of the Semiconductor Operation. In 1970, Art accepted the position of
Professor and Chairman of the Electrical Engineering Department at Tufts
University. He was Dean of the
College of Engineering from 1973 to 1980.
He and his graduate students developed novel methods of microwave
measurement through and beyond his retirement from Tufts in 1994. Most recently he was asked to deliver
the opening address at the 2004 International Porous Semiconductor Science
and Technology held in Cullera Spain, in recognition of the 50th
anniversary of the discovery of porous silicon by Art and his wife Inge,
who had joined Art’s group as a chemist back in 1953. Both Art and Inge
attended the recent conference in Spain.
This Oral History has been based on a series of
interviews and conversations with Art in May 2004. The Oral History will focus primarily on
Art’s early work with transistors and diodes at Bell Labs.
Uhlir
Historic Audio Recordings
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Go
To Uhlir Oral History, Page 2
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